"Be S&L!"

I can still hear my mom’s voice yelling out the van window as she dropped me off at school,

“Be salt and light today!”

It was never, “Be safe!” or “Don’t forget to turn in your homework.”

Nope, it was always “Be salt and light today!” It even got to the point where she came up with a shortened acronym version of it: "S&L, kids! S&L!"

I guess as a missionary family, living out Christ’s teaching to be “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” overrode all other mundane mom comments.

I have to admit there would be days where I would resent her well-meaning admonition. Why couldn’t she just say, “Be nice to your friends,” like all the other moms did?

Looking back, I realize how great that advice was! She was telling me exactly what Jesus said as He taught the crowds during His Sermon on the Mount.

As we go about our days, at work, at school, out around town, Jesus wants us to give His flavor to our world. He wants us to shine His light in the darkness that surrounds us and show others the way to Him.

This weekend in our Now Boarding series, our kids will learn this very lesson. Hopefully they’ll accept it with more enthusiasm than I did at their age!

As Christians, we are Jesus’ representatives to the people we encounter every day. Whether we’re young or old, let’s “Be salt and light today!”

Announcements

• This is the final weekend for families to pre-register their kids early for Kidfest! They can turn in their pre-registration forms at the Kidfest Kiosk this weekend or in the Church Office through the week.
• Haven’t had a chance yet to make an eternal investment in our kids through Kidfest? You can give online by clicking here. It’s easy, just setup an account and designate the funds to Kidfest.
• Pick-up your Kidfest Ticket Invites in your ministry areas this weekend. This is an easy and fun way to invite your friends and family to come to Kidfest!
• Are old and used CDs taking up space in your office? We'll take them off your hands and use them to decorate our stage for Kidfest! You can unload your old CDs (preferably blank) by bringing them to the Ministries Counter from now until July 12. Thank you!
• HD Kidfest Kaleidoscope Volunteer Sign-ups continue this weekend! We need you to make Kidfest a success. There are many different ways to help out, come check out our Kidfest Kiosk in the lobby and fill out a volunteer form or come to our Kidfest Volunteer Meeting, Wednesday, July 15th at 6:30 p.m. in the Worship Center.
• We’ve been given the opportunity to put on another HD Live Service the weekend of July 18/19! We’ll be using a “Mario Kart” theme and need your help making the stage look awesome. If you own a mini-kart, checkered flags, or any other racing gear and would be willing to loan it to us for that weekend, email hd@radiantchurch.com.

What Should I Do?

The lady on the other end of line was on the verge of tears. “Please will you pray for me? I don’t know what to do. I feel like a lost child. I just need God’s wisdom.”

I couldn’t help but feel her sorrow. She was terribly torn. How often in my own life had I wondered at what choice to make, knowing that either option would be difficult? As we began to pray together, God brought to mind scripture I had just studied in my Radiant Core Group.

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.” James 1:5-8 (NLT)

God wants to bless us with His wisdom, to answer our questions. The key to receiving His direction is our faith.

“Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 (CEV)

We can be confident that God will give us His wisdom, we just need to believe without any doubts that He is true to His promises!

Announcements

• Radiant is celebrating July 4th in style! Come out Saturday night for corn dogs, water activities, and other Independence Day treats!


• Only two more weeks for families to pre-register their kids early for Kidfest! Look out for pre-registration forms at the Kidfest Kiosk this weekend.


• Radiant’s next Family Fun Day is just around the corner! Buy your tickets this weekend for the Wildlife World Aquarium at Night! Choose either Friday night, July 10 or Saturday night, July 11 for only $10 per adult and $6 for kids 3-12yrs. Kids 2 and under are FREE!


• Are old and used CDs taking up space in your office? We'll take them off your hands and use them to decorate our stage for Kidfest! You can unload your old CDs (preferably blank) by bringing them to the Ministries Counter from now until July 12. Thank you!


• HD Kidfest Kaleidoscope Volunteer Sign-ups continue this weekend! We need you to make Kidfest a success. There are many different ways to help out, come check out our Kidfest Kiosk in the lobby and fill out a volunteer form or come to our Kidfest Volunteer Meeting, Wednesday, July 15th at 6:30 p.m. in the Worship Center.


• HD is co-hosting a fall preview night with Radiant Student Ministry. Bring the entire family to Radiant, Wednesday, July 29 at 6:30 p.m. for “The Kickoff” an exciting inside peek at our Preschool, Elementary, and Youth areas. This will be an awesome opportunity to learn about our different ministry areas before promotion weekend, August 1 &2. Fun activities for the whole family will round out this open house event. We’d love for you to be a part of this night, stay tuned for details!

More Like Mary

I have a confession…I am a Martha!
(No, not Martha Stewart!)

When it comes to being like Mary – the sister that put aside everything to sit at Jesus’ feet – or Martha – the sister that got wrapped in the details of preparing Jesus’ dinner, I tend to be a lot like the latter sister.

In my day-to-day world, I often get distracted by the minutiae and the work of things – Martha-style – and stop thinking about the heart of things. Sometimes it takes effort to step back, remove the superfluous off my plate, and become more like Mary. But it only takes a moment to center down, talk to Jesus, and let His Holy spirit wash away all my worldly struggles.

Paul tells us in Romans 12:1-2,“So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out…”

In Jungle and Elevate this weekend, our 1st-5th graders will hear Mary and Martha’s story (Luke 10:38-42). They’ll learn that Jesus valued spending time with Him as the most important thing they and we can do.

Let’s pray that all of us, from 6-years-old on up, will be more like Mary this week!

Announcements

• Read a special letter just to you from Carissa, our new HD Children's Director!
• Check out the latest Roadtrippin' with HD photos here!
• Radiant is celebrating July 4th in style! Come out Saturday night for corn dogs, water activities, and other Independence Day treats!
• Families can pre-register their kids early for Kidfest! Look out for pre-registration forms at the Kidfest Kiosk this weekend.
• Radiant’s next Family Fun Day is just around the corner! Buy your tickets this weekend for the Wildlife World Aquarium at Night! Choose either Friday night, July 10 or Saturday night, July 11 for only $10 per adult and $6 for kids 3-12yrs. Kids 2 and under are FREE!
• Our Boarding Passes are a huge success! Please let kids in your ministry area know that if they go out of town this summer they can still get punches on their Boarding Passes by bringing a bulletin from another church. This will also be the last weekend that we will hand out Boarding Passes.
• HD is co-hosting a fall preview night with Radiant Student Ministry. Bring the entire family to Radiant, Wednesday, July 29 at 6:30 p.m. for “The Kickoff” an exciting inside peek at our Preschool, Elementary, and Youth areas. This will be an awesome opportunity to learn about our different ministry areas before promotion weekend, August 1 &2. Fun activities for the whole family will round out this open house event. You don’t want to miss it!
• HD Kidfest Kaleidoscope Volunteer Sign-ups continue this weekend! We need you to make Kidfest a success. There are many different ways to help out, come check out our Kidfest Kiosk in the lobby and fill out a volunteer form!